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Island Gems Charity makes huge donation to St. Martin’s Home

ST. JOHN’S ESTATE–Island Gems Charity Foundation recently donated US $15,000 worth of equipment for the St. Martin Home to the White and Yellow Cross Foundation, the entity that runs the home. The huge donation forms part of a cross-border Gems project with the aim of assisting the elderly on both sides of the island.

The donation includes air conditioners and equipment to help the mobility of St. Martin Home residents. The need for specialized standing aids, called Sara Stedy lift to help residents get out of bed was brought to the attention of Island Gems by the White and Yellow Cross and assistance was readily given by the all-women group.

The Sara Stedy lifts and walker offer clients of the Home a more suitable and dignified alternative to a wheelchair for the more mobile residents. They also enable good, reassuring eye contact between the resident/patient and caregiver, unlike a wheelchair and provide transportation to the toilet and washbasin, and can support a wide range of other everyday activities.

Bregje Boetekees of White and Yellow Cross said of the donation: “The clients and staff of the St. Martin’s Home are very happy with the donated equipment. The two Sara Stedys are constantly in use, transporting clients to and from their rooms and allowing for easy transport to the bathrooms.”

The nurses are so pleased with its functionality, she added. “We hope to get more of these machines, especially for our soon to open elderly care homes under construction.”

The walker donated by Island Gems has allowed many residents to stand up when they previously could not. “It is an improvement for the paramedical team who use this machine in our rehabilitation centre and the nursing home,” Boetekees said.

“Now that we are in summer, we aim to have the air-conditioning installed in our living room and are happy that Island Gems will assist with part of the cost of that installation,” she said.

Island Gems President Alita Singh and Vice President Anne Karine Fleming said the charity foundation, the oldest on the island and the only one that support social and educational projects on both sides of the island, commend the efforts of the White and Yellow Cross and the management and staff of St. Martin’s Home for the vital service they provide to the community.

“Some of our members volunteer in their free time at the Home or are connected in to White and Yellow Cross in many different ways. What tipped the scales for this large donation was that St. Martin’s Home is the only such institution on the Dutch side,” the two Island Gems said.

Island Gems members in the past and at present have been cared for in the St. Martin’s Home.

The second part of this large Island Gems project is a matching donation to the Bethany Home on the French side.

Island Gems raises funds for such donations at its annual costumed gala. This year’s gala was held in April in Captain Oliver’s restaurant.

Only legally registered foundations and associations come into consideration for funding from Island Gems. Information about requesting funding can be obtained for any Island Gems members. The foundation does not give cash; equipment or services approved for funding are paid for directly to the suppliers by Island Gems.

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